Vermont gives up on Bernie-care...errr...single-payer

For decades, liberal activists yearned for a
European-style, single-payer health system that they argued would lead
to more affordable, efficient, and comprehensive medical coverage for
all citizens. When Vermont four years ago enacted a landmark bill to
establish the nation’s first single-payer health care system, they saw
their long-sought dream about to be fulfilled.
But reality hit last month. Governor Peter Shumlin released a
financial report that showed the cost of the program would nearly double
the size of the state’s budget in the first year alone and require
large tax increases for residents and businesses. Shumlin, a Democrat
and long-time single-payer advocate, said he would not seek funding for
the law, effectively tabling the program called Green Mountain Care.
“In my judgment, now is not the time to ask our Legislature to take
the step of passing a financing plan for Green Mountain Care,’’ Shumlin
said.Keep on reading…